Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) Plans $0.15 Quarterly Dividend

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 6th,NASDAQ Dividends reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of 0.15 per share on Friday, March 28th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st.

Hilton Worldwide has a payout ratio of 6.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Hilton Worldwide to earn $7.86 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 7.6%.

Hilton Worldwide Price Performance

Shares of HLT stock traded down $0.84 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $269.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,639,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,490,156. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $250.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.50. Hilton Worldwide has a one year low of $186.83 and a one year high of $274.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.84, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.29.

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.09. Hilton Worldwide had a net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 60.85%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hilton Worldwide will post 7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Hilton Worldwide

In related news, insider Christopher J. Nassetta sold 40,653 shares of Hilton Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.83, for a total transaction of $10,928,745.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 77,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,802,871.89. This trade represents a 34.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael W. Duffy sold 23,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.66, for a total transaction of $5,880,287.56. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,833 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,152.78. The trade was a 50.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hilton Worldwide declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 14th that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HLT. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Hilton Worldwide from $235.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hilton Worldwide in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Macquarie upped their target price on shares of Hilton Worldwide from $248.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hilton Worldwide from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $244.06.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, a hospitality company, engages in managing, franchising, owning, and leasing hotels and resorts. It operates through two segments, Management and Franchise, and Ownership. The company engages in the hotel management and licensing of its brands. It operates luxury hotels under the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and Conrad Hotels & Resorts brand; lifestyle hotels under the Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Tempo by Hilton, and Motto by Hilton brand; full service hotels under the Signia by Hilton, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and DoubleTree by Hilton brand; service hotels under the Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, and Tru by Hilton brand; all-suite hotels under the Embassy Suites by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, and Home2 Suites by Hilton brand; and economy hotel under the Spark by Hilton brand, as well as Hilton Grand Vacations.